As Fashion Sakala heads to Saudi Arabia, Rangers face a major headache over Rabbi Matondo as they look to fill the club’s goalscoring void.
Between the Zambian international, Antonio Colak, Malik Tillman, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Ryan Kent Rangers have lost 67 goals from last season and that’s a big gap to fill.
Whilst the responsibility for this will fall largely on the new additions, there is someone within the squad who should genuinely be in a position to step up and fill Fashion Sakala’s unpredictable contribution.
Any sensible player trading model should allow for others in the squad step into place and whilst Fashion Jnr almost certainly had the wildcard role in the team, Rabbi Matondo must now be eyeing this place.
Signed for a reported £2.5m last summer, the Welsh international’s first season in Glasgow was a disaster but at 22-years-old there is still time for the winger to make his mark at Ibrox.
Is that time now?
Can Rabbi Matondo fill Fashion Sakala Rangers void?
The fact that Michael Beale left Rabbi Matondo out of the Ibrox Champions League squad with Servette but included the player on the bench against Kilmarnock speaks volumes about his role at the club.
With the player seemingly not carrying any injury, it indicates that Matondo is miles down the pecking order as Rangers look to find their feet this season.
But with the exit of Fashion Sakala the young winger is taking up an expensive space in the squad and if Rabbi Matondo is serious about making it at Rangers then he has just been handed a glorious opportunity.
Fashion Sakala contributed 12 goals last season and Michael Beale has admitted that the Zambian was set to be an important part of his plans this season.
When pressed on a potential replacement, the Rangers boss hinted that he’d first assess his options with just under three weeks to run in this summer’s transfer window.
In that space of time, the club must solve a major dilemma when it comes to Rabbi Matondo as Rangers look to get their season firing and score even more goals after the disappointment of last year.
If the winger isn’t ready to step up into the squad to replace Fashion Sakala as things stand, then perhaps the club just need to admit that this sizeable investment hasn’t worked out.
Whether than means moving Rabbi Matondo on or signing another forward who can fill the Fashion Sakala void, it’s clear someone needs to step up as the Zambian moves to Saudi.
